Talent Acquisition Specialist

Harris Federation, Croydon, CR0 2RD

21 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  September or sooner

• Closing date

  2 June 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  12 May 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Administration, HR, data and finance
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £35,000 - £40,000
• Additional allowances:

  Performance and Loyalty Bonus + Pension Scheme (LGPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits

What skills and experience we're looking for

Join the Harris Federation at an exciting time of growth and play a meaningful role in shaping the future of education across London. As a Talent Acquisition Coordinator, you'll be at the heart of our recruitment activity - connecting exceptional people with roles that genuinely change young people's lives.

Working across our 55 academies and central teams, you'll coordinate an engaging, high touch recruitment experience from end to end. That means building trusted relationships with hiring managers and HR teams, developing talent pipelines for current and future needs, launching targeted campaigns across multiple channels, and ensuring every candidate has an experience they'll remember for the right reasons.

This is a varied, fast moving role that suits someone who is organised and people focused, comfortable managing multiple priorities, and genuinely motivated by the idea that great hiring can drive real social impact. If you're passionate about attracting diverse talent and want your work to matter beyond a filled vacancy, we'd love to hear from you.

We are looking for somebody is able to start in September, or sooner depending on availability.

We are looking for a highly motivated talent professional who is energised by building exceptional teams and inspiring workplaces, and who has the instinct and determination to spot and attract the very best people for our academies.

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Previous experience in building and developing relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent communication, writing skills and attention to detail
• The ability to problem solve and create innovative solutions to hiring challenges
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment
• A proactive and resilient approach to challenges
• A desire to learn and constantly review what “best practice” looks like

For a full job specification, please download the Job Pack.

What the school offers its staff

The Harris Federation is a leading education charity with 55 Harris primary and secondary academies across London and Essex. The founder, Chairman and sponsor of the Harris Federation, Lord Harris of Peckham, opened our first school in 1990. We now educate some 38,000 young people and closing the gap between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers has always been a core mission.

The Harris Federation has a track record of accomplishment in achieving success through rapid school improvement and has built an unrivalled reputation for running outstanding academies in London.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.We look for talented individuals who share our vision for creating exceptional places of learning, and are committed to ensuring that every child in London has access to the best possible education.In addition to the opportunities for career progression, training and development, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance, a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits.

Flexible working opportunities

Harris Federation is committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual’s circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.

Our approach to flexibility includes a range of solutions, from tailored working hours to part-time arrangements, where appropriate, ensuring that we maintain our high standards of education while supporting the wellbeing of our staff. Whether you are a classroom teacher, support staffor part of our senior leadership team, we work together to find solutions that align with both the operational needs of the academy and your professional development.

Harris Federation and our academies are dedicated to creating an inclusive and collaborative environment, where every member of staff can thrive and feel valued in their role.

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

As a key member of the Talent Acquisition Team, the Talent Acquisition Coordinator, plays a vital role in shaping the future of Harris Federation by helping us attract exceptional people to our academies and central services. You will support the delivery of impactful recruitment strategies while championing an exceptional candidate experience from first contact to appointment.

Your responsibilities will include:

Recruitment and Selection

• Build effective relationships across all our academies and head office teams, gaining an in depth understanding of the competences and skills required throughout the Federation.
• Develop collaborative working relationships with academy Senior Leadership and HR teams to promote safeguarding and ensure a highly efficient and robust selection processes.
• Support academies to identify recruitment needs, plan effectively and action effective recruitment campaigns to meet their requirements.
• Provide support and guidance to hiring managers during the recruitment process.

Strategic Recruitment and Talent Network

• Build and maintain talent pools of skilled educators and non-teaching staff, while nurturing talent pipelines to support future roles.
• Develop talent pipelines and nurture talent in line with workforce planning and recruitment demands.
• Attend local professional networking events and university careers fairs.

Please download the Job Pack for a full list of responsibilities.

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

Applying for the job

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

HFED Talent Acquisition Coordinator May 26.pdf - 354 KB (opens in new tab)

About Harris Federation

• Type: Multi-academy trust
• Website: Harris Federation website
• Email address: careers@harrisfederation.org.uk
• Phone number: 0208 253 7777
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/harris-federation

Making an impact
Educating 1 in 41 young people in London, we have a track record of achieving success through rapid school improvement, and a reputation for running outstanding academies. Our focus is on the most challenging schools in London and turning them into places where every young person has access to a high-quality education.

Commitment to young people in London
Unlike other large multi-academy trusts, we are committed to transforming schools in London and the surrounding areas. This focus on localisation means we intimately know the communities we work in and have the expertise to help our young people from these backgrounds to succeed. It also allows us to build a much stronger whole Federation network, collaborating more closely to share best working practices across our academies.

Centralised support
To ensure our academies can deliver exceptional education to our young people, we provide them with a strong support provision. Our dedicated central team supports all 55 of our academies, acting as a central hub with expertise in Finance, HR, Compliance, Estates, Audit, Recruitment, and IT, and many more. This centralised structure takes away much of the educational administration from our academy colleagues, allowing them to focus on what they do best – developing bright futures for our young people.

Experts in education
We are focused solely on education and have a team of experienced senior leaders who drive our ambition to deliver outstanding learning opportunities to as many young people as possible. Our organisation is led by people who have extensive experience working in education and know exactly what it is like to be at the forefront of teaching.

Head office location

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